Cat drag fever

[Mighty_Emperor]

I was going to place this in the news but can this really be true? Its so like the bit in "National Lampoon's Family Vacation" (or something similar):

Cable workers charged with dragging cat behind truck

By BRIDGET MURPHY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7257, E-Mail

ATLANTIC CITY - Two cable installers face animal-cruelty charges after police allegedly saw a cat tethered to the bumper of a cable-company truck and being dragged along at a high rate of speed as another truck from the same company drove behind it.

The Dec. 22 incident killed the adult cat and left it mutilated to the point that the animal's sex cannot be determined, police Sgt. Ken Brown said Monday.

Brown witnessed the incident on Route 30, while driving into the city shortly after 3 p.m. to work a uniformed security detail.

After first spotting the truck dragging the animal while on Route 30 in Absecon, the sergeant radioed to the Police Department and had a marked patrol car stop the cable trucks - both from Somers Point-based Ocean Cable Group - at Route 30 and Grammercy Avenue.

The cat was tied to the rear bumper of one truck by its neck with four feet of cable wire and one of its legs had snapped off, Brown said.

"I've seen some really bad things in my 27 years here, but this is up there," the Police Department veteran said Monday, soon after signing complaints against the drivers of both cable trucks. "To do something like this to an animal - it's despicable."

The animal's corpse is in a freezer at the county animal shelter, according to Nancy Beall, president of Atlantic County's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Police took photos of the animal and also kept the cable wire it was lashed to the truck with as evidence.

Authorities identified the driver of the truck that was dragging the cat as Robert Hewitt Jr., 28, of Hickory Lane in Egg Harbor Township, and the driver of the truck that was following him as Joseph M. Newton Jr., 25, of Maddox Run in Galloway Township.

Both face animal-cruelty charges, and Hewitt also faces a charge of inhumane treatment of an animal, police said Monday. Both charges are disorderly persons offenses.

The suspects are due to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, according to authorities.

Ocean Cable Group owner Bob Mills said Monday that he suspended Hewitt and Newton from their jobs and will fire them if they're found guilty of the offenses.

Mills, who has two pet cats himself, said his company does not condone such behavior as police are alleging and that nothing similar has ever happened in the past.

He said Hewitt and Newton had been working on jobs in Atlantic City that day. They had headed out to Galloway Township for a lunch break and were returning to the resort to continue working when police stopped their trucks.

Mills said he believes one worker may have tried to call the other with a Nextel phone to tell him about the animal dragging behind the truck, but that his phone didn't work.

"Both of them said they didn't know what was going on," Mills said Monday, adding that each employee had worked for him for a few years.

The business owner said some disgruntled former company employees also live in the area where his employees stopped for lunch and suggested that perhaps they could be involved in the incident.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/123003CRUELCAT_D30.html

 

[marion]

Its probably true, I mean only a few years ago some white supremacists from some Southern US state dragged a black man to his death in the same way so I'm sure it happens with animals. I've heard of two dogs dragged behind a car by accident (they were tied to the bumper and the owner forgot and went to the shops.)

 

[escargot]

Bastards.

 

[gyrtrash]

I've heard stories about this happening by accident, I assumed it was an UL.
Although, given the number of pet dogs on the planet, it's bound to have occured to someone, at some point!

But to do it deliberately...

 

[marion]

The story I heard about the two dogs wasn't a UL, it was in the paper, the woman who did it was prosecuted.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Cat Dragging Charges Tossed


Feb 6, 2004 1:36 pm US/Pacific

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Two cable company employees who allegedly dragged a cat from the bumper of a truck were cleared of cruelty because it was dead to begin with, officials said Friday.

"While this was a despicable act, New Jersey law expressly states that an animal must have been alive when it was tortured in order to lodge animal cruelty charges," said Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey Blitz. "The dragging of a dead animal is not prohibited by the animal cruelty statute."

On Dec. 22, Joseph Newton, 25, was spotted driving an Ocean Cable Co. truck with a cat tied to the rear bumper.

A co-worker, Robert Hewitt, 28, was trailing the truck in a second vehicle when off-duty police Sgt. Ken Brown saw the cat and notified police dispatch.

Newton and Hewitt were charged with animal cruelty.

But an autopsy on the nearly unrecognizable corpse showed no signs of hemorrhage or reddening around the cat's neck, where the wire had been tied to attach it to the truck.

Had the cat been alive at the time, there would have been, according to Dr. Herbert Van Kruiningen, head of veterinary science at the University of Connecticut's diagnostic laboratory.

The cat died from broken bones and cuts consistent with having been struck by a vehicle, Kruiningen said.

Blitz said Hewitt, of Galloway Township, found the cat and tied it to Newton's truck while Newton was at home on a break, as a prank.

Blitz dismissed the animal cruelty complaints against both, but Hewitt will face a disorderly persons charge in municipal court for the stunt, Blitz said

http://cbs2.com/water/watercooler_story_037163726.html

Emps

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Posted on Sat, Apr. 03, 2004


POMPANO BEACH


Dog prank could land man in jail

BY KEVIN DEUTSCH

[email protected]



A North Lauderdale man could face jail time for tying a dead dog to the bumper of a truck belonging to a deaf co-worker, who unknowingly dragged the animal for two miles.

Paul Michael Goobie, 47, told another co-worker he found the dead Chihuahua in the street and brought it back to work, where he tied one end of a rope to its neck and the other end to the bumper of the man's truck, said Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.

Goobie said he got the idea from a scene in National Lampoon's Summer Vacation, Coleman-Wright said. In the movie, Chevy Chase's character ties the family's dog to the car bumper at a rest stop, forgets and drives away.

Kevin Meloy, the driver who unknowingly dragged the dog, left the parking lot of ABC Cutting Contractors Inc. in Pompano Beach about 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Meloy, 42, pulled over near Sample Road and Powerline Road after a motorist got his attention. Seeing the dog for the first time, Meloy put it inside his truck, started driving back to work and was pulled over by a BSO deputy.

Meloy told the deputy he did not know where the Chihuahua came from and only realized there was a problem when drivers flagged him down, Coleman-Wright said.

BSO Pompano Beach detectives determined that Goobie, one of Meloy's co-workers, tied the dog to the truck as a joke.

BSO detectives gave Goobie a notice to appear for the unlawful disposal of a dead animal, a second-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, Goobie could spend up to 60 days in jail and/or pay a fine up to 0, Coleman-Wright said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/8345851.htm

 

[Leaferne]

Its probably true, I mean only a few years ago some white supremacists from some Southern US state dragged a black man to his death in the same way so I'm sure it happens with animals. I've heard of two dogs dragged behind a car by accident (they were tied to the bumper and the owner forgot and went to the shops.)

The incident involving a black man being dragged happened in Texas; I've been to the town where it happened. (Weird place, that Texas)

I do remember a case in Quebec (near Hull) where someone dragged a dog behind a car on purpose, because it wouldn't "mind him" or some other garbage. The poor thing survived (with shredded feet) and was eventually adopted into a loving home, IIRC. The perpetrator was reviled in the media and I think if he wasn't jailed there would have been a lynch mob. There was also a case in Toronto (or was it Vancouver?) in which a couple of sick f*cks tortured a cat to death and killed it--all on video. ::shudder:: (Weird place, this Canada)

Unfortunately, animal cruelty laws simply don't have enough bite to them, so to speak; there really should be tougher penalties. If nothing else, there's always that old saw about how people who torture and kill animals will work their way up to human targets.

 

[Anonymous]

Report in the Irish papers today about a verminous little piece of drunken anti-social scum who intimidated a woman walking a dog in Derry. He took the springer spaniel bitch off the woman and threw it from the top of Derry's walls. The poor animal fell 25 feet, but survived with some bruises. The scumbag got 3 months for that (which is the maximum sentence, the Judge said it was 'too low') and he also got 8 months for his other forms of entertainment; namely assaults, motoring offences and criminal damage. Should be out in time for Christmas then.

 

[OneWingedBird]

The scumbag got 3 months for that (which is the maximum sentence, the Judge said it was 'too low')

Longer than the guy on another thread got for throwing a child in with some sharks...

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Donkey drag fever??

It really does make me despair - I'm not sure it need saying given the nature of this thread but its not for the faint hearted.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004

Donkey dragging suspect at large

Animal put to sleep; police have yet to make an arrest

By ERIC FOSSELL - The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- The dragging of a donkey behind an all-terrain vehicle in rural Cabell County has sparked an emotional outcry from people throughout the United States.

Meanwhile, authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of Hurston Gue, 77, who lives on Bowen Creek Road in the Branchland area, regarding a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty. Gue’s pet jenny (a female donkey) had to be euthanized Tuesday because of massive injuries to her haunches.


"We’ve been inundated with calls," Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe said Wednesday. "One lady called in tears, and one man offered to buy it a cemetery plot."

Chief Deputy Jim Scheidler said the department also was flooded with calls from the local and national media, including a reporter in the Dayton, Ohio, area and representatives of United Press International.

The Herald-Dispatch received numerous e-mail messages regarding the story, which first was published in its Wednesday editions.

Tricia Greene, who works in West Chester, Pa., near Philadelphia, wrote, "I am stunned. I cannot conceive how anyone could commit an act of such astonishing cruelty. I only hope that this stays in the news, and that this individual is prosecuted for animal cruelty, and receives more than the usual slap on the wrist. No matter what excuses this person could come up with, the facts, the suffering and the eventual death of the donkey speaks for itself."

Dr. Stephen Walker, a veterinarian with the Equine Medical Center in Chesapeake, Ohio, said the jenny suffered "abrasive wounds down to the bone" from being dragged over asphalt.

"Its injuries were so severe that we decided to euthanize it," he said.

Walker added that the jenny appeared to be young, although her exact age was unknown. It also was unknown if she had a name.

Witnesses told the deputy who responded to the scene Monday afternoon that the jenny had been dragged nearly a quarter of a mile across the asphalt surface of Bowen Creek Road. The deputy wrote in the report that he measured a trail of blood "well over 4/10 of a mile long, ending in a large pool of blood."

Also, according to witnesses, the jenny was tied by a rope behind a red four-wheeler and dragged while on its haunches. Witnesses said that Gue eventually loaded the animal into the bed of a green Ford truck and it "seemed barely alive."

Wolfe referred to it as "the worst case of (animal) abuse" he had seen. He said sheriff’s department authorities went to Gue’s residence Wednesday to serve the animal cruelty warrant, but that Gue wasn’t home. Sheriff’s officials also planned to remove other animals from Gue’s property, but no other animals were located. Wolfe said authorities were notified that Gue owns at least two horses, but he said the animals possibly had been moved to another location.

A horse owner and trainer himself, Wolfe said it is incomprehensible that someone could mistreat a pet so badly.

"When you think of a donkey, it’s the most innocent-looking creature," he said. "It’s really, really sad. Think of all the people who would have adopted and taken care of it."

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/September/02/LNtop1.htm

 

[milk23]

I expect these examples are all too true.
Round my way some kids poured petrol over a horse and set it alight.I remember that spate of young people throwing dogs out of speeding cars not so long ago.
If i get reincarnated I would like to come back as some massive toothed beast that feeds solely on fuckwits

 

[Anonymous]

If i get reincarnated I would like to come back as some massive toothed beast that feeds solely on fuckwits

Sadly you'd soon be too fat to move

 

[TheQuixote]

The story I heard about the two dogs wasn't a UL, it was in the paper, the woman who did it was prosecuted.

Sadly this is a similar case...

Animal cruelty case in court

Joseph Rewha, accused of mistreating dog by dragging it behind car, granted bail after court appearance

1 November 2004

A Far North man who allegedly dragged his German shepherd dog behind his car has appeared in court.

Joseph Rewha appeared in the Kaikohe District Court today, charged with willful ill-treatment and failure to provide medical treatment for an animal.

The charges relate to an incident in February at Rawhiti, northeast of Russell.

The dog, 'Tipa', was allegedly pulled behind a car at speeds of up to 80 kilometres an hour, as punishment for running away.

The incident prompted a national outcry from animal lovers, who flooded the Bay of Islands' SPCA with cash and gifts.

The accused, who has been granted bail, will reappear in court on Wednesday.

© 2004 NZCity, IRN

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=44572

 

[Anonymous]

But how do these people work out that dog is going to *KNOW* that the reason it is being abused is because of some misdemeanour? Completely mental!

 

[Mythopoeika]

There are just some really horrible people about, and it greatly saddens me.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Trial in donkey dragging case begins today

By ERIC FOSSELL - The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- An elderly rural Cabell County man accused of dragging his pet donkey over an asphalt road with an all-terrain vehicle to its eventual death last summer is scheduled to go on trial today in Magistrate Court.

Hurston Gue, 77, of 1348A Bowen Creek Road in the Branchland area, is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and, if convicted, faces up to a six-month jail sentence and a possible fine of $300 to $1,000.

Gue’s trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today before Magistrate Michael Woelfel.

On Aug. 30, Gue’s jenny (a female donkey) suffered massive injuries to her haunches after -- according to one witness -- she was dragged more than four-tenths of a mile by a Honda four-wheeler along Bowen Creek Road. Witnesses described a blood trail "ending in a large pool."

The jenny was euthanized to end her suffering, and the tending veterinarian said she had suffered "abrasive wounds down to the bone."

The case against Gue ignited public and media response throughout the United States. The Herald-Dispatch received e-mail messages from readers in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan, among other states.

Last October, Woelfel denied a motion to have Gue tried in a court outside Cabell County. Defense attorney Douglas Reynolds argued at that time that the extensive coverage of the case would prevent Gue from getting a fair trial in Cabell County.

Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe had referred to the donkey dragging incident as "the worst case of (animal) abuse" he had seen. He also said he had been inundated with calls from concerned residents, including a man who offered to buy a cemetery plot for the jenny.

Tara Martin, media relations coordinator for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has headquarters in New York City, said that enforcement of animal cruelty laws has been rising nationwide. Currently, there are 38 states and the District of Columbia that have laws making intentional cruelty a felony charge, while 12 states, including West Virginia, treat neglectful and intentional cruelty as a misdemeanor.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

More people dragging - does this only happen in the States?

All eyes on Gallup as dragging victim's condition remains critical


By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A trail of blood that stains the pavement along Dairy Drive serves as an eerie reminder of Sunday's dragging of a Gallup man for more than a mile.

Fausto Arellano, 32, was bound by the ankles, strapped to a pick-up truck and dragged for at least a mile before he was abandoned in the Lot-A-Burger east parking lot at about 4 a.m. Easter morning.

Gallup Detective Erin Pablo said Arellano remains in critical condition at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. He sustained burns to nearly 50 percent of his body.

"His condition hasn't deteriorated, but he's still in critical condition," she said.

A Conoco convenience store employee called police after the critically injured father of two was discovered in the nearby parking lot. He was airlifted to Albuquerque from Gallup.

No motive for the dragging has been established. However, detectives continue interviews with witnesses to the incident and with Arellano's family members, Pablo said.

Pablo said the department has received several promising leads through the CrimeStoppers hotline since the incident.

"We've been following up on some good leads," she said. "We're beginning to narrow it down."

City Manager Eric Honeyfield offered his condolences to the Arellano family.

"That whole situation is horrible," Honeyfield said. He said crimes such as Sunday's are not a common occurrence within Gallup.

"These kinds of crimes are unique and seldom happen, but are still shocking," he said.

Pablo said the department's three detectives worked until 11 p.m. Sunday night and hope to arrest whoever is responsible for the dragging soon.

"We want to give the family some sort of comfort," she said.

A pair of witnesses to the incident reported Arellano was dragged by a red a pick-up truck with tinted windows. Pablo said detectives are looking for a red full-size Dodge pick-up that may have been involved.

Pablo said Arellano attended a birthday party at the Lion's Club prior to the incident. A member of the band playing at the party drove Arellano home at about 3 a.m. and noticed no suspicious vehicles or behavior on Arellano's part.

Pablo said investigators traveled to Albuquerque on Monday afternoon to interview Arellano at his bed side. But the critically injured man was unable to speak or provide any additional information due to his condition.

"He's still heavily sedated," said Police Chief Sylvester Stanley.

The incident has received national media attention and Stanley was interviewed on Tuesday morning by "Today Show" host Matt Lauer regarding the dragging. Stanley said media outlets are implying the crime was racially motivated. However, he said little evidence exists to substantiate the theory.

"That's the only reason the big media outlets are calling," Stanley said. "There is nothing that indicates this is a hate crime. We've had no new information in this case since Monday."

Family and friends filled a waiting room and lined hallways at the hospital, wondering if the father of two would survive.

"He's always been a fighter. He's gotta fight this one," said friend Edna Garcia. "We're just out here guessing. We just sit here and pray."

Anyone with information regarding the dragging, is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 722-6161.

Source

 

[JamesWhitehead]

There's enough hate here, just not the roadspace, Emps.

 

[Anonymous]

It amazes me how anyone can just forget that their dog is tied to the bumper. Some things just aren't supposed to be "forgotten", take this for example: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/carbaby.htm
I also wonder if it's true that some idiots tie their dog to the bumper in purpose, thinking it's good exercise for their pets to run after their car. If this was the case, sadly, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[crouton1198]

Unfortunately, it is true. It happened here in Seattle not too long ago, maybe two years or so. A man, drunk, or on drugs, tied his two dogs to the bumper of his car so they could get some exercise. His excuse? "He didn't go very fast around the block..." The dogs were taken away from him and found good homes.

But another horrible story from my town involves a donkey, and three teenage boys.:monster: Pasado, the donkey was a favorite at a local farm, not a typical farm, but one used for educating schoolchildren about animals. (Obviously, it needed to do a better job) It's in a subdivision, not surrounded by fields (and not far from my junior high school). Pasado was tied up to a tree, and the two boys, during the night, tortured and beat him to death. In his attempts to get away, Pasado had wound rope he was tied with around the tree. The boys were punished (not enough if you ask me). I don't remember exactly what the punishment was. I'm sure it wasn't enough. But I think the law was changed because of this, and a shelter called Pasado's Haven was formed for unwanted or abused animals of all kinds, from hamsters to bulls. They have a really good website with the whole story, along with reports of animals rescues: http://www.pasadosafehaven.org

Another horrible thing (it seems I live in animal abuse central!) Last year two teenage boys :monsterdifferent ones) tied a stray dog to a tree and shot it with a bow and arrow, killing it. They shot it mulitple times, but only had one arrow, so they had to pull the arrow from the dogs body before shooting it again. After it died, they threw the body in the river, where it was never found. Their reasoning behind this? The dog was a stray and unwanted, and if it was taken to the Humane Society would just be put to sleep. UGH. The boys were punished, but again, I can't remember what the punishment was. Some jail time and lots of community service. Big deal.

We need harsher punishment for animal abusers. And it needs to be consistent across the country. Something that will get you jail time in one state will only get you a slap on the hand in another.

Gosh, I really sound like a maniac!! Well, I AM passionate about animals. They never lie.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Posted on Fri, Dec. 16, 2005

2 going to prison on charge of carjacking

The Associated Press

FLORENCE - Two Hartsville men who pleaded guilty to federal carjacking charges in an incident in which a man was chained to a pickup truck and dragged through a field have been sentenced to prison.

Kenneth Smith, 41, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge R. Bryan Harwell. Lamont McKay, 27, was sentenced to seven years.

Prosecutors sought the reduced sentence for McKay because they said he cooperated in the case.

Each man had faced a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The two men began arguing with the victim over a drug deal at a Darlington County store in January, then struck him in the head and robbed him, prosecutors said.

The men forced the victim into his own pickup truck, ordered him to drive to a nearby field and made him take his clothes off, authorities said.

The victim was then beaten with a tire iron and burned with a cigarette lighter, chained to the truck and dragged up the road, prosecutors said.

The victim said he was able to escape when the men turned a corner.

The victim recovered from his injuries, which included cuts and bruises.

The Darlington County Sheriff's Office had charged the men with assault and battery with intent to kill, kidnapping and armed robbery.

The victim, who is white, said Smith and McKay, who are black, made racial slurs while chaining him to the truck.

Authorities said they do not doubt the comments were made but said the crime did not appear to be racially motivated, because the robbery occurred first.

www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebea ... 420224.htm

 

[disgruntledgoth]

In the town where I live there has been cases of people painting frogs with Tippex (that liquid paper stuff) and setting them on fire, and I know someone who stuck one on to a bike tyre pump and kept on pumping it up until it exploded, f*cking despicable people.

 

[OldTimeRadio]

Texas

"[O]nly a few years ago some white supremacists from some Southern US state dragged a black man to his death....."

The only ray of light escaping from this outrageously atrocious horror was the undisputed fact that the Whites of the Texas town involved were every bit as horrified and repulsed and disgusted as the Blacks, and according to numerous national news sources Blacks and Whites there "came together" as never, ever before.